Absconditus
by Chronarch
Summary: The year is 2559, humanity has finally found its peace, but dormant secrets from the dawn of time are stirring beneath the Earth. An ancient plan of the Forerunners has fallen into motion, the Cryptum has opened, and Earth will never be the same again.


**Author's foreword: This is a story I wrote as part of the fan project Halo: Revolutions, I'd like to thank everyone who took part in the project over the 7 months we worked on it and the final result was over 100 pages of art, poems and stories.**

ABSCONDITUS

_By Ar7emis_

She looked out at the vast, beautiful landscape that faced her. The sun was high in the sky, shining down on the dewy green grass; its beauty reflected in the lakes - everywhere was vibrant and full of life. She lay down on her back, looking up at the clear blue sky. There were distinct swirling patterns of colour, growing larger and larger as every second passed, and then shrinking; abstract hues were shifting and morphing into different shapes... It was that moment that the gritty reality of this beautiful world hit the Librarian like a concrete wall.

The swirling patterns were not a thing of wonder; they were the sign of a war raging across the cosmos... Billions of her fellow Forerunners had been slaughtered; they had been on the receiving end of a fate worse than death. Perhaps worst of all - their seemingly eternal struggle was solitary. Not that this wasn't their own fault, upholding the Mantle was a herculean task - it meant making sure that no other race could make it more difficult for them by being allowed to advance freely. A regrettable loophole...

From her pocket, the Librarian pulled out a small device and began tapping several buttons; her final message:

_My work is done. The portal is inactive, and I've begun the burial measures. Soon there'll be nothing but sand and rock and normal ferrite signatures._

_You should see the mountain that watches over it. A beautiful thing - a snow-capped sentinel. That's where I will spend what time is left to me._

_Did I tell you? I built a garden. The earth is so rich. A seed falls and a tree sprouts, or a flower blooms. There's so much... potential. We knew this was a special place because of them, but unless you've been here, you can't know._

_It's Eden._

_I have to stop transmitting. The thing is listening. Its thinking dead are babbling - laughing through every channel they can find._

_Be proud. The Mind claims victory, yet it still doesn't suspect. You've outwitted it, my love. And now you can destroy it._

_But you cannot save me._

_/ FRAGMENT ENDS_

A solitary tear ran down the face of the Forerunner, in full knowledge of what was about to happen. This was the end of their Empire; the end of the Forerunner; the end for all life in the galaxy as they knew it... But even as she wept for the fate that had engulfed her species, a single thought entered her mind.

_This was far from the end for her._

OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE PRIORITY MESSAGE

ENCRYPTION CODE: **[THOUGH THE FIRE HAS GONE, A FLAME STILL BURNS]**

From: **[CODENAME: SURGEON]**

To: **[CODENAME: OVERSEER] **/ ONI operative, **[SECTION ZERO]**, Special Logistics Command (SpecLogCom)

Subject: **[Operation: ABSCONDITUS]**

Classification: RESTRICTED (XXX-XD DIRECTIVE)

**/LOG UNDER CLASSIFICATION OF ONI ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (ANDROMEDA)\\**

/Start file / decryption protocol enabled\\

Overseer,

Recent events **[CLASSIFIED 2559, DISCOVERY EVENT] **have had me engrossed in a constant battle with my own head to try and figure out what the Forerunners planned - what they planned for us.I can glimpse only a fleeting aspect of it; we have all seen the _sword_ and the _shield_, but something's amiss. Or maybe I'm just getting paranoid?

Anyway, your crew's recent drilling expedition into **[AREA-16]** has lead to some interesting discoveries. Even the highest chain of our command could never have predicted the structures under the **[PORTAL SITE] **to be so extensive, and we could be months (even years) away from finding what is actually down there. The AI **[FRAGMENT-O32 MB]** has been talking again; I have no doubt it's insane (or rampant), but its babbling poses some questions. Where is **[CHARLIE HOTEL]** when you need her?

It even managed to gain access to my personal files; all that was attached was a string of words: _Atonement... Atonement... Atonement..._

**[Codename: USUAL SUSPECTS]** suggests termination of the AI for absorbing data of the highest secrecy, but I'm arguing the case against him (_as you should too_). There's too much to learn; so much would be wasted if we were to lose this one. I look forward to exploring the ruin myself next month. Xenotheoretic analysis teams are already working on how everything links together, and I'm recommending this project for further funds. This is big, but you're going to be treading on a lot of important toes for this project, maybe even Parangosky...

_Tread damn lightly_, Overseer.

P.S. Next time, send some damn pictures!

**/END\\**

The Portal Artefact on Earth was one of the greatest mysteries that Earth held. It appeared as a colossal dish-like structure, with fourteen large metal monoliths spread around its circumference. It stretched for approximately one hundred and twenty kilometres; since it had been unearthed it was visible from orbit.

Humanity had only recently learned of its existence; during the Great War against the Covenant, one of the Hierarchs of the alien coalition (the Prophet of Regret) had stumbled upon Earth and - having learned humans resided on the planet – proceeded to transmit the planets' coordinates to their homeworld (a colossal space station that served as the Covenant's base of operations, known as High Charity). However, Regret then fled from Earth (his destination being another Halo Ring)**, **before one of the other Hierarch's (the Prophet of Truth) sent his fleet to the human planet. The metropolitan city of New Mombasa in Kenya, East Africa was occupied by Covenant forces, and the process of Glassing began almost immediately - but this was unlike any other planet the Covenant had hit in their long genosidal campaign of the human race. This was Earth, the final bastion.

The Prophet of Truth (_de-facto_ leader of the Covenant after two of the three Hierarchs were killed) dedicated the majority of his forces just east of Voi - a town one hundred and forty kilometres away from New Mombasa. On November 17th, 2552, the Prophet of Truth himself entered the fray; he arrived in a Forerunner Dreadnaught and smashed through Earth's home fleet. By this time, the Artefact had been fully uncovered**, **with Truth proceeding to land the Dreadnaught in the centre of it. Powered by the engines of the ancient vessel, a veil of darkness began to fall over Voi as the weather conditions hit extreme levels, and - after accumulating enough power - activated the Artifact.

The Portal led to a bastion of the Forerunners, a superstructure _outside_ of the Milky Way galaxy called _the Ark_. The Ark was a safe haven, a shelter from the activation of the Halo Rings that would wipe out all life capable of sustaining the Flood organism in the galaxy.

At the end of the Human/Covenant war, the Portal closed and was believed to be dormant. But yet it still was drawing power from an unknown energy source; this was something that the Office of Naval Intelligence had considerable interest in, and they had quickly begun hiring xenoarchaeologists to dig into the structure, under the watchful eye of one of their Section Zero agents: _CODENAME: Overseer_.

**2034 HOURS, OCTOBER 23rd, 2559 (UNSC MILITARY CALENDAR) \ ARTEFACT SITE, KENYA, EARTH**

The Overseer stood on the edge of a great cliff, observing the final moments of sunset as the sky turned from a crisp crimson-orange to dark blue. His thoughts were gone with the wind; faded were the worries of what horror might come the next day that he had experienced for over two and a half decades. Now, finally, was a time for peace.

Recently, after many years, he had observed the stars through his grandfather's telescope. It was a primitive method of gazing at the universe, but it had been a way to pass the time. One thing that he'd taken notice of was that Mars was brighter than usual - as the civilizations before them used to say, the signs of an oncoming war...

_Ha_, a voice in the Overseer's mind chuckled. _Not now, not after all that we've lost._

_But really?_ Spoke another voice. _The Elites chose to pursue the scattered remnants of the Covenant when we severed ties, and they've not been doing very well. We could be dragged into this conflict without any allies to help us._

_We owe nothing to the Elites_, the Overseer thought with gritted teeth. _They were one of the main causes of over twenty three billion human deaths._

But he knew that was not really true; the Elites had caused all those deaths, but without the Great Schism causing them to change sides, the human race would most certainly have been wiped out. Although, the destruction of Joyous Exultation might have been another reason for the Elites joining humanity - a way to save their own necks. The ONI agent found it very difficult to accept that the Elites, the aliens who had nearly destroyed his race, were their saviours. An ironic oddity, indeed.

The Overseer felt ashamed that he had done little of any importance during the war_; I never risked my life to save others._ The war had caught everyone off-guard with its brutal beginning and he'd found himself out of his depth. He hated that he could be seen as a coward for his actions (or _lack of_) during humanity's desperate struggle; instead he had left it up to the top brass to send good men and women into battle and die. _That was my contribution to the war._

Even so, he felt some satisfaction in being the head of the ABSCONDITUS Project, something that might have him do something positive for the future of humanity. As it turned out, the Artefact was even _bigger_ than they had originally imagined; a series of interlinked tunnels (akin to a labyrinth) winded their way far down into the Earth.

There was a sudden buzzing from behind**. **The Overseer turned around and saw a UH-144 Falcon gunship gliding on the night sky towards him**,** its twin rotors beginning to slow as the transport vehicle locked its altitude to his level**. **A man jumped out and hobbled over to greet the Overseer**;** his dark brown hair was stood on end as a result of the Falcon's rotors**. **The man clutched at his coat with both hands but still managed to snap a crisp salute to his superior.

"At ease, Lieutenant," the Overseer barked. "News?"

"Professor Sorvad's team have hit the big one, sir. A new set of catacombs have been unlocked, we're preparing to send a team through, and Spartans are _en route_."

_Spartans?_ The Overseer thought to himself. _It must be important_. One thing was certain; this was going to be interesting. Interesting _and_ dangerous.

"Something I'm not being told, Lieutenant?" he asked, trying to wheedle the answers out of the man; _not that I expect a grunt like him to know much._

"Nothing I know about, sir," the Lieutenant replied sternly, clearly detesting his own lack of knowledge as much as his superior. "Section Zero's top brass is deploying Team Rapier to accompany you. They're either concerned for what you'll find down there, or concerned for you."

"Would it be too much to hope for the latter?" The Overseer chuckled; he knew that ONI did not give a damn about him as long as he delivered what they wanted. _I am the means to an end, for once_, he thought to himself, the irony readily apparent. _I am the tool, rather than the one who uses it._

"We had better get moving, sir," the Lieutenant said, frustration obviously rising up within him; _discovery takes patience._ "We don't want to keep Professor Sorvad waiting."

**2119 HOURS, OCTOBER 23rd, 2559 (UNSC MILITARY CALENDAR) \ ARTEFACT ATRIUM, SORVAD'S LAB, EARTH**

Professor Sára Sorvad's lab was kept immaculately clean; there were organised shelves of rock, granite and Forerunner alloy samples; desks with neatly stacked piles of paper, letters from ONI, and her close-to-overheating laptop. The floor was made of marble; the crew of Project: ABSCONDITUS had spent a lot of time setting up the place as their new home. ONI paid them well to work long hours.

Sára was the daughter of Professor Laszlo Sorvad, one of Doctor Catherine Halsey's leading xenoarchaeologists who took part in her research project on the planet Reach. His discovery of the Forerunner "Latchkey" Artefact had been a central event that helped change the course of the Human/Covenant war in 2552, but he had met an unfortunate end when a group of Elite Zealots had infiltrated Visegrad's Relay Station and killed him.

_I watched him die... That video feed still haunts my dreams._

Sára never spoke to others about her father, but his work kept her motivated for every challenge, giving her a strong resolve. She kept a small golden locket that her father had given to her in her pocket at all times. But sometimes the locket only served to remind her of the emotional pain of his death.

The Overseer knocked on the door to the lab and opened it, regardless of whether Sára was happy with his entry. She was seated at her desk, filing papers and hammering in commands on her laptop at the same time, a mug of stone cold coffee resting on a coaster.

"Professor Sorvad," the Overseer greeted, trying to keep up the facade of being cheerful.

"Thank you for coming at such short notice, Overseer," Sorvad replied, not turning to him, but sweeping back her jet black hair from her face. "_I'll csak lenni pillanat_."

Luckily, the Overseer understood Hungarian; she'd said that she'd just be a minute. It was a habit of hers to reply to others in her native tongue, either to tease or because she wasn't aware she was doing it; she appreciated having the Overseer as her boss because he put up with it. _Begrudgingly_, he thought.

"Professor," a light female**, **but unmistakably electronic, voice began. The artificial intelligence's holographic avatar appeared - a kind looking young woman with stormy grey eyes, a pearly white toga and a single grey owl perched on her shoulder. "Team Rapier has just touched down on Pad 4, and are ready for your orders."

"Thank you, Athena," Sorvad replied. "Are you ready for transit?"

"Confirmed," the AI, named Athena, stated. "All systems are prepared, transferring to data chip... now."

Athena's face fell a little, almost as if she was disappointed at having to leave her current position. She was coming up on the end of her seven year period of effectiveness, and AIs often built up emotion and feelings after such a long time. Rampancy was always a risk, and the Overseer was concerned that it would soon be necessary to terminate Athena. _Such a shame_, he thought to himself. _She is very good at what she does. She's been with us from the beginning; I guess she's always known the way it'd end._

_Wow, I have started calling her 'she'._

Sára tapped a few controls on her laptop, and there was a low hiss as Athena's avatar vanished. Sorvad pulled out a small data crystal chip and pocketed it, packing up her laptop in a small bag.

"Let's go meet our Spartans," Professor Sorvad said, a curious hint of sadness in her tone when she uttered the word "Spartans".

_Ah_, the Overseer mused, as he realised the cause of her apparent sadness. _Noble Team...Reach..._

The Spartans stood tall in their MJOLNIR Mark VI armoured suits, their faces hidden behind deeply polarised gold-coloured visors that separated them from the rest of humanity - they were born warriors. Each of them saluted, one (clearly the leader) stepped forward.

"Team Rapier reporting for duty, sir." The Spartan spoke confidently, his voice deep with a slight growl to it. His helmet was aesthetically similar to the SPI variants worn by Spartan-IIIs (of which the "top secret" files had _somehow_ made their way into the Overseer's hands after the death of Colonel James Ackerson); from what the Overseer had gathered, Team Rapier was a splinter division of Gamma Company used for separate priority missions.

"What's your name, Spartan?" the Overseer asked, only mildly interested and curious - as he always was with Spartans.

"Seth, sir, Spartan G043," he replied concisely. "This is Miranda, Rapier 2; Arthur and David, 3 and 4."

The other three Spartans wore different helmets; it was clear that they had all been given liberties to show themselves off. In some respects, it was a shame that the war was over; _they really did look menacing, and it was a shame that their military potential was being wasted. _Miranda sported a Recon helmet, and looked ready for a fight; she was slightly jumpy and looking around for any signs of hostility (as her years of training had drilled into her bones). Arthur's head featured a HAZOP (colloquially abbreviated from: HAZard OPerability) variant, whilst David wore a Commando helmet. Each of them looked extremely imposing and intimidating, sending shivers down the Overseer's spine as he pondered the things they were capable of doing. _And the things that they've done..._

Professor Sorvad walked up to Team Rapier's leader and presented him with Athena's data chip. The Spartan held out his large hand and took it.

"Thank you, ma'am," he nodded to her, inserting the chip in a slot on the back of his helmet, before turning to the Overseer."We're ready whenever you are, sir."

"Athena has control over our electronics; she'll keep our systems online for us, keep us all updated and provide directions." Sorvad stated.

"How're we getting there?" Miranda asked the Overseer quizzically.

_Forgot the 'sir'_, he thought irritably. _I may not be military, but I'm still their damn superior!_

"We have three Warthogs stationed here, we can use those to navigate through the tunnel," the ONI agent said.

"We'll split up," Seth informed his squad. "I assume they've got weapons?"

"Gauss cannons and M41s are at your disposal. The Professor and I will be taking the Transport Hog."

"I'd like to inspect the vehicles before we leave," Arthur requested. "I need to check that they're all up to optimum capability."

"Very well," the Overseer said with a hint of annoyance in his tone; he couldn't appreciate the military indoctrination that these Spartans had been through since they were children. _I never went through it myself. I never risked myself..._ "Whenever you're ready."

**2200 HOURS, OCTOBER 23rd, 2559 (UNSC MILITARY CALENDAR) \ ARTEFACT INTERIOR, TUNNEL 4C, EARTH**

The Warthogs trundled along a never-ending path leading deeper into the Artefact's tunnels - a network of which Athena had plotted a path through. There was very little in the way of lights, but the Overseer and Sára were wearing their specialized ONI optics; they featured a polarised blue visor that stretched across the eyes and displayed tactical information about the area. It was known as the Visual Intelligence System, and had been created as a prototype for use by Orbital Drop Shock Troopers,but ONI had taken a liking to the technology and had funded the development ofa line of customized versions for their agents.

It was not very comfortable to be sat in the cramped passenger seat whilst the steering wheel turned itself (as Athena controlled it), but Sára didn't seem to care as she was constantly peering at her notebook and laptop screen - scrawling down notes with her pen.

The members of Team Rapier were very silent during the ride. It was likely that they were using their own private TEAMCOM channels to communicate - the Overseer was sure he had seen Miranda brush her hand over the side of her helmet, around the area of her COM link, several times. He wondered what they were talking about, but felt annoyed that they had been cleared to talk behind his back.

"Overseer," Athena's soothing synthetic voice spoke. "I am detecting a superstructure several kilometres north of this location; it is likely the main chamber, as it is also several thousand feet below our current location and I can't find any other areas of similar size."

Sára was hammering the keys on her laptop; she had a typing speed of 110 WPM - not quite of Halsey's standard, but the Overseer could still have mistaken it for machine gun fire.

"Yes, it seems so. But we may run into Forerunner defences on the way," Sára drummed her lower lip, speaking to herself more than anyone. "What happens from now is just theory and guesswork."

_Thump!_

The Overseer nearly lurched out of the Warthog's seat; he had never been more thankful for seat belts in his something distant had caused the very ground to shudder; the light on Sára's laptop began to fade and the screen went blank.

"What the hell was that?" The Overseer asked, his breathing rate increasing, turning his head around to see Team Rapier behind them in two separate Warthogs.

"Alert, our presence has been compromised_,"_ Athena stated.

"Compromised?" Seth questioned, confused. "Compromised by what?"

The Overseer saw Miranda swivel the Gauss Turret around; she was trying to get a glimpse at what had caught them.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Arthur groaned.

"Sir, eyes ahead," David announced suddenly. He highlighted a waypoint on their heads up display, pointing towards a blinding white light moving towards them. Their visors polarised to their maximum tint, but it was still nearly blinding.

"What is that?" Sorvad asked incredulously.

_Thump!_

The ground shook violently beneath them, threatening to toss the Warthogs into the air like tennis balls. The Overseer gripped his chair tightly, knuckles turning a ghostly white, as the fear rose within him like a cold explosion, _how I've always hated this thing's suspension_.

"I don't like this," Seth growled. "Is there an alternate path?"

"Negative, Rapier 1. Our course is absolute, no alternate routes available,"Athena replied concisely.

The light shimmered like a curtain of energy, almost blissful; white and gold iridescence moved like swirls from a paintbrush around an orb of divinity. The Overseer thought he could hear it sing, the call of an angel... it was so beautiful, so stunning, and so... _warm._

The brightness began to fade, as the singing stopped. Seven additional shafts of pearly white energy began to glow hot around the light's diameter; _it's charging up..._

"It's a beam..." Sára whispered to herself, not fully comprehending the significance of that Overseer, fortunately, did.

"Oh my God," he breathed. "Scatter! Now!"

The light exploded; a massive bolt of energy shot past the Overseer's Warthog and collided with the wall beside them. The heat was intense. Fires began burning slowly as another charged beam hit the ceiling above, sending chunks of rock and Forerunner alloy raining upon them. The Overseer's senses were under assault. The deadly column of energy blinded him; the explosions overwhelmed his ears. He felt his heart rate jump to light speed, hammering against his rib cage like a jackhammer, as the adrenalin began pumping through him.

Seth activated his VISR and scanned the outline of their attacker. The Overseer quickly followed suit.

It was colossal, similar to a Covenant Scarab but ten times as big and infinitely more menacing. _It looks like a... tank_, the Overseer thought; _a _Forerunner _Tank_. It was shaped like a scorpion; the energy weapon had been fired from the 'mouth' of it and the 'tail' was now jabbing at the walls around it. The tank's heavily armoured 'claws' were snapping as it moved backwards at an incredible speed.

_Some kind of defensive measure,_ Sorvad hypothesised. _But defending what?_

"We can't fight that thing!" Sára shouted over the COM, as Miranda opened fire with the Gauss Cannon. But the Overseer knew that it would not dent the giant weapons platform.

"Why is it attacking us?" David asked. "I thought that these constructs identified humans as Reclaimers."

"That's restricted information," the Overseer scolded the Spartan; he had had enough of the genetically engineered soldiers knowing everything they shouldn't; _how do they do it?_ He was amazed at their capabilities. However, he often found them rather disconcerting. But now was not the time for anger.

"Spartan-III Gamma Company received a chemical cocktail that augmented the frontal lobe of the brain. The 009762-OO compound enhances aggression to animalistic-like levels," Athena stated, in her characteristically matter-of-fact manner.

"Which means that you would all be identified as an aboriginal sub-species of humans by these Forerunner constructs," Sára finished Athena's sentence for her.

"Alert!" the AI warned suddenly. "Three hundred meters ahead is a break in the path; our foe is more devious than I imagined. We are cornered."

That final sentence sent sharp shivers running down the Overseers spine; _it's going to obliterate us..._

"We're gonna have to jump it," Seth barked.

"Are you _insane_?" The Overseer roared in shock; _what kind of leader is he? He's going to get us killed!_

"We've got no choice, sir."

He couldn't think. A mental barrier had stopped his brain from processing anything. They could risk the jump and let fate decide whether they live or die, or they could stand and fight for their lives against the military might of the Forerunner Empire. The Overseer could not fool himself; _we would be absolutely annihilated. _

As much as he hated to admit it, the roughish Spartan was right; _for once._

"All right, Spartan," the Overseer growled. "We'll do it your way, but if I die down here, I'll kill you!"

Seth chuckled to himself: _I'd love to see him try._

They braced themselves; Sára clutched at the golden locket and closed her eyes. Her appearance was quite calm. The Overseer himself tightened his grip on the hard Warthog chair, preparing for the worst.

Suddenly, there was another flash of white light; the Overseer felt his blood run cold as the air was sucked out of his lungs with an obnoxious _bang!_

There was nothing... just darkness.

**2342 HOURS, OCTOBER 23rd, 2559 (UNSC MILITARY CALENDAR) \ CORE ROOM ANTECHAMBER, **_**ABSCONDITUS**_**, EARTH**

The Overseer's eyes jerked open. His head throbbed, and he tasted blood on the tip of his tongue; _never a good sign._He could smell burning, and could feel flames flicker and dance around him; _nor is that._ He pulled himself up and shook his head, trying to clear his senses, but felt his heart sink as he saw a body slumped on the floor, broken and stationary, wearing MJOLNIR armour.

He was momentarily shocked into silence. _She is dead_, he thought in horror. Due to his paper pushing during the war, he had only very rarely seen a dead body; _just one more thing that singles me out from a species tortured by war._

"I'm sorry, sir," Seth said quietly, jolting the Overseer out of his deep train of thoughts. "Not all of us made the landing."

"You call that a landing?" The Overseer was beside himself; it was Seth's fault that they had lost someone. But he couldn't help but feel pity for the Spartans.

Seth was down on his knees next to Miranda's lifeless body. He scowled in rage at the Overseer, but bit back a response and returned to look at his fallen comrade. That was another thing the Overseer knew nothing of; _war time brotherhood._

Mirandawas covered in blood; a head-sized chunk of her torso had been blasted off completely, and her innards were exposed. The Overseer noticed that Seth had turned off his COM; he was sure that the Spartan was weeping. _He loved her_, the Overseer thought, intrigued. But this kind of love was only be attained through the trust of a military unit, especially one as small and close-knit as Rapier. A strange feeling arose with the Overseer, and it took him a moment to realise what it was; _envy._

"_Sajnálom_, I'm sorry..." Sára whispered, echoing the words that had been said to her by another Spartan when her father was killed at Visegrad.

Seth and Sára held a silent vigil. Arthur was the only other Spartan to survive - David had vanished without a trace, but considering what had happened to Miranda, the Overseer concluded, with little concern or sympathy**,** that his body was likely vaporized.

Seth cradled her helmet in his hands; he replayed the recording of what had happened.

**/PLAY\\**

The Warthog was barrelling through the tunnels, fires blazing everywhere. Miranda screamed as the vehicle was launched through the air, she launched herself off the back of the turret and landed on the Forerunner Tank's hull.

"David!" She called to her comrade. She held out her hand as the other Spartan sprung from his Warthog, but disaster had struck.

The Tank's energy projector had charged up, Miranda felt David's hand slip from hers and he fell - the beam firing at the same time.

"NO!" Miranda screamed. David's vitals flatlined as he was blasted into a million chunks of flesh.

There was only one option left, the scaled down MFDD system integrated into her armour's failsafe systems. She tore off the front part of her MJOLNIR chest piece and tapped in a command on a small pad that was covered under a panel, twenty seconds and counting...

She did this for the mission, for the team, for the fallen...

_10... 9... 8... 7..._

Quite content with her fate, she was flung off the front of the Tank and fell down for what seemed to be forever. But it was warm; heat swept over her and filled her senses.

_BOOM!_

**/... VIDEO FEED CUT OFF, UNEXPECTED ERROR. PLEASE RECALIBRATE SYSTEM DRIVE.\\**

"Spartans never die," Arthur said, his voice breaking, as he placed a reassuring hand on Seth's shoulder. He then pulled up the roster for Team Rapier, selecting Miranda and David from the list and marking them as MIA. _Spartan's never die, _the Overseer repeated in his head. The irony was apparent to him; _they _always_ die._

"Now we carry on," the Overseer said eagerly.

For a moment, no one said anything. Seth took one last look at the crumpled shape of Miranda, before turning back to the Overseer.

"Affirmative, sir," Seth said, his voice quieter than usual_._"Rapier 3, let's move."

They walked on in silence, each of them lamenting the deaths that had occurred from out of nowhere. The Overseer didn't particularly get on with Spartans, but he couldn't help but feel a wave of empathy for the surviving members of Team Rapier when he saw Miranda's mutilated remains. That did not mean that he cared much for her however, or that he would sacrifice the success of the mission to save more lives.

The Tank had been an unforeseen complication, but that did not change the fact that whatever Forerunner secrets were locked away within the facility, ONI needed them. _I need them_, he thought. _I _need_ answers... With such heavy defences, this has got to be big._

The Forerunner corridors were identical; if it were not for Professor Sorvad and Athena guiding them through the catacombs, the Overseer had no doubt that they would be hopelessly lost. After passing through another set of huge, elaborately carved doors, the group finally emerged onto a glass catwalk; it extended upwards forabout a hundred feet and broke off into a circular platform - a control console at the end. Around them were over a hundred flying robotic constructs: Sentinels. Unlike the Forerunner Tank, these guardians were not shooting at them.

_Yet_, the Overseer reminded himself. _Let's see how long that lasts with trigger happy, vengeful Spartans among us._

He then noticed that they were not the standard installation Sentinels that could be found tending to the Halo rings and the Ark; instead they were spherical, and featured a single red eye with three booms rotating in a clockwise direction. The Overseer remembered reading the reports on the battle above the planet Onyx; the Sentinels had combined together and taken out half a Covenant fleet. The thought of being in the presence of things that could have him disintegrated on the spot was particularly unnerving... _But_, the Overseer reminded himself once more, _I am also surrounded by battle-ready Spartans._

The enormous chamber was spherical with silver-tinted walls. Large power conduits provided adequate illumination, as rocks jutted out of the strange alloy. It was eerie; all that could be heard was a low humming and the whirring of ancient machinery. _So much happened here_, he thought in awe. _And so much more is about to follow._

Making their way to the control console, the Spartans seemed especially keen to keep their weapons poised in preparation for any kind of hostility the Sentinels showed. _Typical over-aggressiveness brought on by unnecessary genetic augmentation._

The unlikely group reached the control console. A blue globe rotated slowly in the centre, between two holographic screens; both showed quickly scrolling numbersand strange glyphs that were completely alien to the Overseer - and yet strangely familiar from a time long past. The Overseer immediately felt his hand stretching out, a voice whispering in the back of his head like a persistent parasite. He couldn't make out the words, but he could tell that they were egging him on to touch the console, encouraging him at a subconscious level. _And yet I'm aware of what's happening_, he realised. _But I can't stop it. Genetic memory?_

Sára saw the Overseer's hand almost an inch away from the sphere, and slapped it away.

"You have no idea what will happen if you touch that," she said.

The Overseer ignored her; he was absent from this world, and stared into the rotating sphere, trying harder to understand the voices. He felt a terrible sadness and terror that transcended millennia; he could see strange alien children crying as a colossal city stood ablaze.

"_The apex of our Empire -"_

"_Lost all hope!"_

"_Cannot be stopped! He's going to fire -"_

"_Our last line of defence -"_

"_Abandoned us! The Mantle -"_

Sára looked at the Overseer, her brow raised in worry. Seth spoke: "Sir, if you're going to press that, you do it with humanity's best interest at heart - not your own curiosity."

_I take orders from Spartans now, do I?_ The Overseer chuckled in his mind. _This is my chance to do something... This is it..._

The Overseer pressed his hand onto the console. Instantly the blue globe began to spin, holographic hexagons lighting up like beacons in the darkness- each featuring a different Forerunner glyph. The sphere began to rise upwards, pulsing for a second, before expanding dozens of times over; before the Overseers eyes, it morphed into a holographic view of the Earth.

"Now _that's_ not what I expected," Sára exhaled. The dozens of glyphs moved across the holographic surface of the Earth, before each one finally came to a halt over a different location. Her eyes widened in shock. "That's _really_ not what I expected..."

"What is it, ma'am?" Arthur asked incredulously.

"Look, that's where we are now," Sára pointed at Kenya on the holographic atlas."It looks as if this isn't the only ancient structure below the surface of the Earth; there are dozens, no, _hundreds_ hidden around the world... Egypt, Rome, China," she crossed them off with her fingers. "Istanbul, India, San Francisco, England, Athens, Bermuda, Easter Island, Antarctica..."

"_Ah_," a wave of realisation washed over the Overseer's face; _this is it_, he thought with exultation. _This is what we have been searching for all these years. All of the secrets of the Forerunners will be at those locations..._

"Exactly, look! These are all historic monuments, the wonders of the world: The Great Pyramid of Giza; Stonehenge; the Taj Mahal; the Vatican..."

"They are all monuments to the Forerunners, _or something more,_" grinned the Overseer; _finally. Finally!_"This is where it all began. Word must have spread amongst primitive human cultures, passing down through generations as religion and prophecy - of a race of gods that visited us**.** The story must have changed through the ages, forming new religions based on the events of when their race inhabited Earth."

"I wouldn't say that the Forerunner _inhabited_ this planet," Sára mused. "No, I think that it lies in our genetic memory - we are the inheritors of their Mantle."

_Of course._

"Their what?" Seth asked.

"The Mantle," Sára replied. "A rough interpretation would be _'the guardian of life'_, or - as their glyphs show - _'Reclaimer'_."

_This information... it could answer all of our questions_, the Overseer thought. _The truth behind our origins, behind the nature of the Forerunners and the Halo rings. The secrets of the universe..._

"ONI needs to see all of this," the Overseer stated matter-of-factly. "We need to get SURGEON down here."

The hologram of Earth suddenly faded; its pulsing blue light shrinking as it returned to being a small rotating globe.

"Sir, I need that map back up," Sára said, irritated by its disappearance.

The Overseer pressed his hand onto it again, but nothing happened for a second. _What the..._ Suddenly, a deep rumbling sounded all around them; for a moment he thought that he'd summoned the Forerunner Tank back to them, but after looking at the walls around him he realised what was happening. _Oh my God..._

An immense shockwave rippled throughout the cavern, sending the group crashing hard to the floor.

"The cave is collapsing!" Arthur roared.

"No," Sára groaned as she pulled herself to her feet. She pointed to the walls that encompassed the chamber. "It's _opening_."

This was indeed the case; the walls around them were shifting, separating from each other and revealing a bright white light shining through the cracks. The Overseer could not believe his eyes. They raised their arms to cover their eyes, shielding themselves from the blindness- which began to pierce the chamber like a dagger.

After a few moments, the walls were fully separated, revealing a colossal stone statue in their place. The statue had the form of a woman's face; her eyes were closed, her face expressionless. Unlike the strange metallic material the entire cavern was made of, the statue was made of rock - perhaps even carved into the crust of the Earth itself. A glyph was visibly engraved on her forehead; it seemed to be comprised of an outer circle - that broke apart at the top and bottom - and curved in to form a line that angled and twisted in different shapes. The Overseer recognised this as the Iris glyph; _but what does it mean?_

"Spooks are gonna love this," Seth muttered; _too true._ "This rock has been perfectly preserved for over a hundred thousand years."

There was little time to ogle the ancient rock, for something below them was stirring. They peered over the edge and saw a stone platform ascending upwards; they all exchanged uncertain looks and drew back.

At last, the stone platform reached the glass catwalk. In the centre of the platform's dais was a tall stone archway; it looked so ancient that it amazed the Overseer it was still standing (by the fact that it was completely solitary; it wasn't even supported by a wall). It was however cracked and crumbling, barely withstanding as a result of the test of time. Words were carved around the edges; the glyphs made no sense however.

"Athena, translate," Sára ordered.

"'That which must be protected behind the sharpened edge of the shield... Beyond the reach of the swords for the Reclaimers.'"

"What does that mean?" Seth pondered aggressively, demanding answers. _He isn't the only one._

"It sounds like a reference to the Halo rings," Sára replied. "And the Shield Worlds."

The Overseer then noticed something much more advanced than rock underneath the archway. It looked similar to a cryogenic stasis pod; it was shaped like a tube but featured angular edges and a flat surface at the bottom. The front of the tube was comprised of a clear glass window, but whoever was occupying it was not visible; a silvery veil of energy shimmered like a layer of water within.

"What is that?" Arthur questioned.

"I have no idea," the Overseer lied; _I know exactly what it is, and it's what we have been searching for all this time. Finally, answers are at our finger tips. I never believed we'd find an actual Cryptum... _"We need to find some way to get it open."

Before anyone could object, the screen of Sára's laptop, which had been thrown to the floor during the shockwave,activated and began bleeping a red alert signal.

"This could be problematic..." Sára sighed, as she knelt down and began to hammer away commands on the keypad.

"What is it?" the Overseer asked, as a black hole of dread opening within his gut.

"_Végbélsár!"_ Sára ran her hands through her hair. The Overseer was surprised; she rarely ever swore - only when she was put under considerable stress. "The Artefact just went active! The portal is opening. The whole of Mombasa is experiencing a technological blackout; it's drawing power from the city."

"We need to get to the surface _now_," Seth advised sternly.

"What?" the Overseer growled in response. "We can't leave! This place holds the answers that we have look for since the dawn of time! We cannot just abandon all of this knowledge!"

Before the Spartan could object, a high-pitched _hiss_ sounded from the pod. _It's opening_, the Overseer realised. _It's opening! We can finally speak to one of them. _An overwhelming surge of excitement radiated within the Overseer; a broad smile spread across his face. He wanted to laugh in the faces of those accompanying him, this was _too_ good.

The slipspace pod began to exhale a strange mist that covered the floor, pouring out of tiny slits in the metal. Suddenly a blast of energy shot down from the ceiling and slammed into the pod; blue lightning began to fork out from the pod and strike the walls around the chamber. The door of the pod began to open.

_Exactly like last time..._ Thought the Overseer, but as his smile grew wider, he felt a twinge of doubt unfurl within him. _Have I doomed us all?_

"Detecting multiple unidentified objects in transit through slipspace," Athena reported.

Sára turned her laptop to face the rest of the group; the screen showed a view from orbit of their location. The portal hung over the Artefact like a gaping black maw, and small slipspace ruptures were blinking into existence from the abyss.

_What's behind that?_ The Overseer thought.

"Multiple contacts have breached our defences, strike teams are on alert." Athena stated; her tone remaining cold and calculating. "Alert: this chamber is about to play host to a very large number of Sentinels."

Suddenly an object emerged from the portal. It was shaped like a tetrahedron, with a triangularly formed prow which was connected to three other identical struts jutting out the belly of the immense ship.

_A Forerunner Dreadnaught_, the Overseer realised with horror. _A Keyship._

"Lateral weapons are charging; all ground forces brace for bombardment. Contacts confirmed as Forerunner."

"But they're dead!" Arthur pointed out, annoyed and confused. "They've been gone for a hundred thousand years!"

"_A mere fairytale, child. We are Forerunner; we do not die, even when faced with extinction. Time has taught us patience; time has taught us how to survive. We live inside you, now - from the ashes of the past - the remnants of the Forerunner rise again."_

The voice soothed from behind them. It was eerie, like a ghost's voice transcending generations. They all spun around instantly, to find themselves staring at something that no human ever thought that they would see. The Overseer could not believe his eyes; _finally_, he thought in stunned awe. _Finally we meet._

A female Forerunner stood before them. She wore an odd helmet; it slightly resembled that of the late MJOLNIR design, but was much more curved with a single visor shaped like an oval. The Forerunner was wearing a long red robe that covered the left side of her body, protected by grey-blue coloured plating that was clearly body armour.

"Who are you?" The Overseer demanded, although he already knew the answer. _That was one very valuable thing the Arbiter had told him._

"Warning, Forerunner sites on all continents are now active. We are under siege," Athena said, her tone now worried - concerned for her couriers. "Brace for immediate impact across this sector."

The Overseer repeated those words inside his head; _we are under siege. What have I done?_

The Forerunner turned to face the humans, body posture suggesting a deep sadness; o_ur first meeting could have been under better circumstances._

"_I? I am the Librarian, and this - child - is but the start of the end of all things, for those who have trespassed upon Eden are not your friends. You stand on the brink of destruction now; an entire fleet is advancing on your planet as we speak."_

Sorvad spoke: "Athena has just decrypted a repeating string of Glyphs."

A harsh dark metallic voice rung throughout the chamber, the Librarian stiffened at the sound of it.

"_We are coming..."_

As it spoke, dozens of Sentinels began to rocket towards the exits of the control room. They combined, forming a ring, and began to charge their weapons. The Overseer noted the similarity between the ring of Sentinels and the Halo rings; _the Halo's destroy all life in the galaxy, and these Sentinels are supposed to make that happen._ The Librarian grabbed a tall, thin metal staff from the pod. The Spartans instantly drew their MA37 assault rifles, handing the Overseer and Sára both an M6G handgun.

"_We are coming..."_

"Looks like we're fighting our way out," Seth groaned, the time for questions would come later. "As always."

The Librarian readied herself in a combat stance; all around them the charging golden beams of the Sentinels illuminated the chamber. There was no way out; the humans made a silent vow to go out fighting. Gathering up their resolve, readying their weapons... They charged.

"_We are coming... back!"_


End file.
